Another Universe
by StandbyScripter
Summary: Twins Steven and Nora Universe struggle to find their place in the world as the only half-human half-gem hybrids on Earth.


" _Twins?!"_

Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl stood in front of a side door of Greg's van staring in wonder at the two white bundles the haggard father held in his arms. It was Pearl who had spoken, she rested a hand against her cheek as she gaped at them, her thoughts racing. The infants were tiny, pink and bald, sleeping peacefully and totally oblivious to the chaos they'd wrought with their birth. It had been over a day since they came into the world, the sun was low in the sky bathing the six in pale pink light.

"Yeah, they're full of surprises," Greg whispered with a chuckle. His eyes were puffy and red. He motioned to each infant with his chin, "This is Steven and Nora."

"So which-" Amethyst started, but she caught herself and lowered her voice to a whisper. "So which one's Rose?"

"They aren't Rose, Amethyst," Greg whispered. "They're Nora and Steven. Those are the names Rose and I liked the most. Though we didn't know we would need them for _two_ babies."

Pearl leaned over the newborns. "But...but where's Rose's gem?"

Pearl glanced at Garnet, but the fusion said nothing, her expression unreadable. Pearl bit her bottom lip nervously.

"Uh, this might be a bit of a shock," said Greg nervously.

The gems turned to watch as Greg moved the infants' blankets to expose their bellies. Amethyst's grin widened and Pearl allowed herself a soft smile when they saw the Rose Quartz gem on Nora's tummy...which quickly fell to shock when they saw Steven's. On each infant's navel was a Rose Quartz gem.

Pearl leapt back. "That's-"

Nora squirmed, her face twitching into a grimace while Stevens slept soundly. Garnet rested a hand on Pearl's shoulder and shook her head to silence her. The meaning was clear: _Not here. Not now._

Greg glanced between them wearily. He knew there were things that needed to be said, but he had two newborns care for. It would need to be a conversation for another day.

"Look, I know things are a little confusing right now, but I gotta get these two to Vidalia's before they wake up again," he whispered. "You can see them again tomorrow afternoon, if you want. I should have everything settled by then."

Pearl forced herself to smile, but she was trembling as Greg put the babies in the van, Garnet kept a hand on her shoulder to steady her. Amethyst smiled and waved at them through the car window before he drove off.

When his car disappeared from the beach, Pearl exploded, " _How is that possible?!"_

 **o0o**

Back at the temple, Pearl paced in front of the door, her face twisted in anxiety. Garnet leaned against a pillar, her arms crossed and Amethyst was sitting against the warp pad, watching Pearl.

"I don't get why this is such a big deal," Amethyst drawled. "We have two Roses now!"

"But Rose isn't a fusion!" Pearl threw her arms up in exasperation. "How can both of those babies have her gem?"

" _Uh_ , maybe she's a fusion and she just didn't tell us?" Amethyst said with a shrug.

" _Don't be ridiculous_! If the gems on those babies were indicative of the components of a fusion, Rose's gems would be next to each other on her physical form." Pearl closed her eyes, covered her face with a hand and sighed, her voice fell to a whisper. "This doesn't make any sense..."

"I have a theory," said Garnet.

Pearl and Amethyst turned to look at her.

"There's another gem, because one of those babies aren't Rose," Garnet said slowly.

Pearl gaped at her. Amethyst's brow furrowed in confusion. "Whatcha mean?"

"One is a fusion of Greg and our Rose, the other is a fusion of Greg and a new Rose Quartz. Somehow, Rose discovered a way to make another gem without destroying life."

Amethyst's eyes widened in wonder and she nodded to herself in understanding, but Pearl was still unconvinced. "Then, which fusion has _our_ Rose?"

Amethyst sat up. "The girl kinda has skin that looks like Rose's."

"But that doesn't _mean_ anything if she's a fusion..." said Pearl.

"Maybe when we go to Vidalia's, we can them to see which one recognizes us?" Amethyst suggested with a shrug. "Pearl, what should we do?"

Pearl looked up to find Garnet and Amethyst looking at her expectantly. The two Gems had been looking to Pearl more and more since Rose's pregnancy, when some bizarre human illness kept her away from missions. But it never felt right even if she had been Rose's closest confidant. Until Rose had met Greg, Pearl had been so sure about what the future would hold, but now she wasn't sure what choice to make. She hugged herself, suddenly feeling out of place in the spotlight. "Garnet...what do _you_ think?"

Garnet's brow raised and she adjusted her shades. "Rose said humans are weak after they come into being. I think we should probably give Greg some space for now until their human halves get a little stronger."

Pearl nodded in agreement, though still uncertain. There was another explanation for both babies that Garnet hadn't considered, that she was _afraid_ to consider. She could only hope she was wrong.

 **o0o**

Greg didn't see the Gems again until a few months later.

Vidalia had been kind enough to let Greg rent her spare bedroom and borrow Sour Cream's old crib and toys. She didn't pry when she saw the twin's gems, she was surprised but unlike Greg she seemed to share humanity's instinctive aversion to anything gem-related. She gave him the freedom to do whatever he needed for his children as long as he paid the rent on time.

He was an attentive father, though there were days when he had to let Vidalia or a sitter take the reins when he couldn't be around. He tried to keep himself busy. The work kept his mind off of his children's future, and Rose's absence. He tried to join a support group for people who lost their wives in childbirth.

The twins never seemed to get sick, which was a relief to Greg because he and Rose had decided it would be better not to go anywhere near a doctor during the pregnancy. He'd agreed because he also wanted the gender to be a surprise, Rose's assurance in the baby's health was more than enough to convince him, and he didn't want to attract any….unwanted attention.

But now he sometimes wondered what would happen if they ever were to get hurt. Rose's fountain _might_ be able to heal their gems, but what about human injuries and illnesses? In the eyes of the law, his children didn't exist, and could never exist. He wasn't sure they'd be able to get the help they needed if it came to the worst, so he was especially careful to keep a close eye on them.

As the months passed, the twins developed as normal human babies did. They smiled, laughed, and cried for the right reasons. Their hair grew, Steven's a curly black and Nora's the same straight shade of brown her father had had in his youth. Steven cried when he was hungry, tired, confused or lonely. Nora cried for the same reasons, but she also cried whenever she couldn't see Steven. Steven laughed easily, but Nora only laughed only if she had been crying moments before.

They were very human, and their gems hadn't done anything unusual by the time the gems arrived for their first visit in mid-December, when Vidalia and her family were away for the winter. To Greg's surprise, the Gems arrived with gifts for the holiday, a six day festival called the Starfall Saturnalia.

Amethyst brought a box of adult diapers in case the babies wanted to shapeshift into a larger form, though thankfully she also brought a box of baby diapers for the smaller "default" form, Pearl brought one of Rose's favorite flowers in a pot and a children's dictionary, Garnet brought a shaving razor and a cup of coffee for Greg.

"Uh, thanks you guys," Greg said, thumbing through the dictionary absently. "But I don't think the twins are going to need anything but the diapers."

"The coffee is for you," said Garnet, with a smirk. "I knew you'd need it. _In the future_."

Greg smirked wearily. He looked as if he hadn't slept in days. "Where did you guys find the money to get all this stuff anyway?"

"Oh, so a while ago, I was getting rid of some of the old junk in my room and some guy gave me a lot of money for it some reason." Said Amethyst. "And then I stashed it away in my room and forgot about it. Then we found out about the holiday today, but when we went to get the gifts, they told us we needed to pay for them. So I just took them, but Pearl remembered I had some cash left over and we went back and bought everything."

"How much money did he give you?" Greg asked.

"200,000 dollars." Pearl said, absently.

"Really?" Greg sat up, face alight with excitement. "That's great! We can use that to-"

"Uh...I _kinda_ set most of it on fire before we figured that out though. We spent what was left on the gifts." Amethyst said sheepishly.

Greg sunk into the couch with a groan. " _Why?_ "

Amethyst shrugged apologetically. "I was bored and I thought they were just some weird leaves. Sorry dude."

Greg slowly set the dictionary down, his mouth set as he stared at all three at them. " _Look_. I know what Rose said, but I _can't_ take care of two babies on my own. I know you guys don't know about baby stuff or even human stuff, but would it _really_ be too much to ask you to _learn_ so you can help me out from time to time?"

"No," said Pearl coldly, crossing her arms and glancing away from him. "Visiting you like this is risky enough as is. Gem monsters aren't just drawn to the ruins, having more than one Gem in the same place could attract them too."

"But _both_ of them have gems!" Said Greg, exasperatedly. "I know it's a risk, but wouldn't it be better for one of you to stay and protect them? I mean, the monsters haven't showed up yet, but what if they do?"

The Gems all exchanged an uneasy glance.

Greg sighed and turned to look at the snow falling outside. He grabbed the coffee and got up. "I need to go pick up some things from the grocery store before this storm gets any worse. The twins are asleep, so they should be fine until I get back. Why don't you three think it over, until then?"

"This is whack." Amethyst said, after Greg left. "He's acting like Rose can't un-fuse and protect herself. It's not like she's going to be like this _forever_."

Pearl and Garnet were silent. And then one of the babies started crying in the other room.

The three walked into the twins' room. It was sparsely furnished. Other than a single crib and a small bed, there were a few toys and an old television set. The three gems leaned over the crib.

The twins were lying side by side. Nora was fussing in her sleep, she slapped Steven and he woke up and started crying when he noticed his sister crying.

" _Ugh_. Now they're _both_ making noises!" Pearl grimaced and clutched her head.

"Amethyst, do something funny," Garnet commanded.

"Gotcha." Amethyst shapeshifted into a cat and hung over the crib. The twins giggled. "Hey, they like it!"

And then, for a moment, Steven and Nora's gems glowed. The Gems gasped in unison.

"Didja see that?" said Amethyst.

"It's…Rose!" Pearl whispered.

Amethyst shapeshifted into a baby to try and convince one of the "Roses" to shapeshift back into her old self. Garnet unfused, but the babies cried when they saw Ruby and Sapphire to her bewilderment. Finally, Pearl took charge.

"Everyone calm down." Pearl picked up Steven. "Rose! Rose, can you hear us? Are you in there?" Pearl whispered. The baby responded by giggling and grabbing Pearls nose. Pearl sighed and put the baby down.

Then she picked up Nora. "Rose?" Pearl said weakly. Nora gave her a blank look, but when Pearl began tearing up, the baby's gem flashed for a moment.

"Amethyst, you were right, it was the girl...it _must_ be…" Pearl's hand suddenly went down near Nora's gemstone. "I can let you out and we'll be... together..."

As Pearl's fingertips rested on Nora's gem, something flickered in Garnet's gaze and her eyes widened in alarm. "Pearl! Don't!"

" _Pearl, what are you doing?!_ " Greg was standing in the doorway, still wearing his coat. He snatched Nora from Pearl's arms, his eyes wide with fear.

"I-I was trying to free Rose!" Pearl stammered.

"What? No! If you remove their gems, they could-"

"Die," Garnet finished gravely.

"Wait, so-" Amethyst started.

"I would never-! I don't - I don't understand! Rose said she'd still be here with us!" Pearl stammered.

Greg looked stricken. "Pearl...she wasn't being _literal_. She meant, in spirit...in memory," He said wearily. "Rose...told me that she and the baby can't both exist. I thought you-"

" _No..._ " Pearl whispered. "No! You can't mean-" Pearl sunk to the ground, cradling her head in her hands. "Why did she want this so much?" Pearl began to tear up. "Why...would she give up everything-!?"

Garnet laid a hand on Pearl's shoulder, her visor was gone. "Pearl," she began.

Pearl violently shrugged off Garnet's hold, shooting Greg an acidic glare before she dashed out of the room and the house. Garnet and Amethyst followed her, leaving Greg behind in front of the twins' room, but Garnet stopped at the threshold of Vidalia's front doorway and held Amethyst back.

"Leave her," Garnet said, her visor was still gone.

"What?! _Why?!_ Garnet what is going on?" Amethyst said.

Garnet closed her eyes and steadied herself. Rose had explained human pregnancy to them in simplistic terms: both parents gave life to a child or children and continued to exist after they were born. But Gems…

"Amethyst. I think...those two babies were born like humans and…made like Gems. I was wrong when I said Rose had discovered a way to create Gems without destroying life. Rose told Greg she and the baby couldn't both exist, because she knew the life that would be lost would be...her own. Rose is gone, Amethyst. And she is not coming back."

Amethyst face fell as realization dawned. She slowly took a step back, and shook her head tearfully, angrily. The whole world seemed to warp around her as Garnet looked at her, the fusion's eyes were dim with grief.

Then Amethyst ran and Garnet did not follow.

 **o0o**

For the next five years, Garnet would be the only Gem in the twins' life.

Amethyst was too wild and irresponsible. Pearl was too broken and withdrawn. It was yet another responsibility Ruby and Sapphire had to bear.

For the first month after the gems learned the truth about the twins, Garnet only visited Vidalia's during the day, but she never saw the need to stay longer than an hour because a there were never any monsters to fight. But she didn't tell Greg that being around the twins made her uncomfortable.

A monster finally showed up the night before the twins' first birthday. Vidalia had been reading Sour Cream a bedtime story in the twin's room. Greg was away. The monster broke through the window, Sour Cream took the twins and ran out of the room. Vidalia beat the creature back with a lamp while her four-year-old and the twins cried in the hallway. The neighbors had not seen the monster, but they had heard screaming inside the house and someone called 911.

Garnet showed up before the police did, she managed to bubble the gem and by the time Greg returned, she was talking to two officers in the driveway. The officers were uneasy. Gem monsters were a common occurrence around the temple, but _not_ around the populated areas. The two officers were reassured once they realized that a Gem had handled the situation and left without incident once they were sure no one was seriously injured.

After Greg and Garnet nervously explained the situation to a bruised and scratched Vidalia, the woman was furious. It was the angriest Greg had ever seen her. Vidalia was only consoled after much begging on Greg's part, and a promise from Garnet to do whatever she protect them. Still, Vidalia bought a shotgun, and used the money she had inherited from her late parents to buy a security system for the house.

Day and night, Garnet acted as a stoic guardian for the second year, ensuring no corrupted gems entered the neighborhood and putting more effort into helping Greg raise the twins. When they noticed that only the weaker corrupted gems seemed to attack, and only during the night when the kids weren't out and about, she and Greg came to an arrangement: she would help him during the night and go on missions during the day. Greg gave Garnet a cell phone so he would be able to contact her if something happened while she was gone, and Greg tried not to keep his kids in one place for too long during the day.

Garnet didn't know what to think of the children. Nora and Steven's gems didn't glow after their fifth month. They were technically two new Rose Quartzes, so she tried to see it as her duty to guide them as she would any new recruit during the war, but it was soon clear that they were nothing like Gems. They had to be taught _everything_. They were fragile, simple-minded, always changing and growing. Nora was the first to speak, but Steven was the first to sing. Nora was the first to walk, but Steven was the first to run.

After awhile, Garnet came to like the escape caring for the twins offered. She, Pearl and Amethyst could hardly be called a team anymore. Pearl and Amethyst would disappear for days on end without any explanation, and the two would bicker constantly whenever they were around each other. When Garnet had found them after the first day, both had refused to believe Rose was truly gone. None of them wanted to be around Greg.

So Garnet was happy when Amethyst and Pearl asked to see the kids one day. After a short chat in which Garnet explained how to interact with the children, the two went to Vidalia's the next day while Greg and Garnet was away. Both gems were tense, but Amethyst relaxed as soon as Vidalia had greeted them at the door. After Sour Cream was born, Vidalia had to grow up and she couldn't find the time to hang out with her old friend like she used to. Pearl lagged behind as they entered stopping to stare at the three children playing on the rug in the living room while Amethyst sat with Vidalia on the couch.

Sour Cream was tickling Steven while Nora was sitting in a corner playing with a stuffed cat. Nora's long brown hair was tied back with a black scrunchie in a neat ponytail; she was wearing a red shirt, shorts, and white socks. Steven was wearing a frilly pink shirt and blue jeans, bare feet kicking the air, his shrill laughter seemed to echo as Pearl stared at his short black curls. When the boy noticed the Gems he got up and ran towards them, while Nora hid behind Sour Cream.

"Hi! My name's Steven! You have gems like us!" He said to them, then he looked at Pearl. "Are you Amethyst? You're pretty! I like your star!"

Amethyst chuckled, Pearl was still struggling to speak. " _I'm_ Amethyst," Amethyst pointed to herself, then to Pearl. " _She's_ Pearl."

When Nora noticed Amethyst's gem, she creeped forward, staring at the Gen in wide -eyed wonder. She grasped at the gem under her shirt with one hand, while still holding her plushie with the other.

When Amethyst noticed her starring, Nora bowed her head and blushed in embarrassment. "Hello," She said very softly.

Amethyst quirked a brow. "Uh, did she say something?" Nora's face flushed.

"She's shy!" Steven whispered loudly. Vidalia giggled.

"Nora, you gotta speak louder sweety," Vidalia said gently.

"I-I'm. Um," she mumbled, her eyes locked on the floor, and her shoulders tense. Then she stood up straight and looked right at them. "My-name-is-Nora-I'm-four-years-old!" The little girl awkwardly extended her hand to the two gems without looking at them.

Pearl, remembering what Garnet told her, crouched so she was on the same level as Nora and gently took the little girl's hand in her own and shook it. "Hello, Nora. I like your, uh, cat."

"She's not a cat. She's a lioness," Nora said softly, relaxing somewhat. "She's a dangerous a-apex pre..pred-"

"Apex predator?" Sour Cream said, taking care to enunciate each word slowly.

"Yeah," Nora said, giving him a thankful smile. "Apex predator?"

Pearl looked at Nora with a bemused expression. "What's a-."

Before she could say anything, Steven a stuffed animal and announced, "Yeah and this is a bear! His name is MC Bear! He's a bear!" Steven held up the toy to Pearl and grinned.

"Those two are getting smarter everyday." Vidalia said with a smirk. "I can't believe they're almost five."

"Mom," Sour Cream said, "are Nora and Steven going to kindergarten soon?"

"A _what_?" Pearl spat, startling all three children and Vidalia. Amethyst turned to look at Vidalia with a raised brow.

"I don't think she means what ya think she means, P," Amethyst said.

Vidalia was taken aback. "Um, a kindergarten is a place where five-year-olds go to learn basic math, reading, writing, and social skills from a teacher..? Y'know, a school."

"School?" said Pearl.

"I mean. They could be homeschooled. I taught Sour Cream myself for awhile but he begged to go to a _real_ school." Vidalia shot Sour Cream a playful look, but Sour Cream rolled his eyes. "Greg hasn't told me what his plans are for these two, but considering your...situation...I think it would be best if they were taught at home."

"Why can't we go to the kindergarten school?" Steven asked. Nora looked up curiously.

"Because they can't teach you how to be a Gem like we can," Pearl said, her brow furrowed as she realized something.

Suddenly, the front door opened and in walked Greg with a bag full of groceries. Steven bounded up to him like an excitable puppy.

"Hi Dad! Did you get our cake yet?! What cake did you get?!" He was jumping up and down and talking a mile a minute

"Easy stewball, give me a moment to get my bearings," Greg said with a smile, which fell slightly when he noticed the two Gems in the living room. "I...hey kiddo, no peeking!" Nora had tried to peek inside one of the shopping bags, no one had noticed the girl move. She giggled as Greg playfully swatted her away.

Vidalia, seemingly reading the tension in the room, got up and said to Greg, "Greg, why don't I put those away for you."

Vidalia took the bags and headed towards the kitchen, though not before glancing over her shoulder she and saying, "Sour Cream, Nora, Steven; go upstairs and play."

"Why?" asked Steven.

"Because the Prince and Princess of the Candy Kingdom need to save MC Bear and his loyal lioness from the evil wizard!" Sour Cream said mischievously, grabbing the two stuffed animals and dashing upstairs. The twins ran after him, giggling in delight.

It was Pearl who spoke first after the three of them were alone. "Greg...I...I'm sorry for everything."

"Yeah," Amethyst said sheepishly.

"It's fine," Greg said, rubbing the back of his neck, "You were going through a rough time. And to be honest, it might have gotten a little crazy if all five of you were together all the time."

"Yes, but I should have been there to...uh, what I mean is," Pearl sighed, shutting her eyes for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. "Nora and Steven are going to need a teacher, for their school at home?"

"Uh yeah, Garnet and me were talking about that the other day. She was going to tutor the kids and I was going to ask Vidalia if she wanted to help today actually."

"Well, I want to help. I want to teach them, about their culture. About gems. If they are ready, of course. If this is what Rose wanted, I want to do the best I can to see it through. So please let be their teacher. Tell me what to do."


End file.
